Pallets are used extensively for shipping items in bulk and are generally made of wood. In some cases the pallet comprises a wooden skid and the items to be shipped are stacked on top of the skid and held in place by plastic or metal straps. In order to stabilize and secure the load on the pallet skid a pallet top is utilized which rests on the top of the load and secured there by strapping tightly wrapped about the whole assembly. The pallet tops also provide a surface on which another skid may be placed.
Known pallet tops usually comprise a wooden frame made of four thin pieces of wood joined to form a rectangular frame. Four metal plate brackets are provided with each bracket overlapping the adjacent ends of two pieces of wood and are secured to the wood with screws or nails.
The wooden pallet tops are generally constructed as a frame in order to provide a step portion along the inner perimeter of the frame. This provides a surface against which the arms of an automated pallet top remover abut in order to remove the pallet top from the load. An advantage of having no center portion is that it minimizes the weight and cost of the wooden frame.
There are several drawbacks to this type of pallet top. The lack of a central portion is a drawback with loads comprising small items in high volume. This is particularly problematic for loads comprising small items such as bottles and the like which are prone to wobbling as the skids are being moved about. Wooden frame pallet tops are prone to splitting and breaking when in place on the pallet due to the very high stresses on the frames developed by the securing straps. Splitting of the frames is also a frequent occurrence due to the stresses developed because of the weight of the next pallet stacked on the low surface area wooden frame.
Further, the wooden frame pallet tops are inconvenient to handle and may pose an accident risk due to both the weight of the wood and the danger of slivers or splinters. The wood components can easily become dirty due to outside storage and may also harbour larvae, microbes, bacteria, termites and the like which are problematic in for example the food industry. Certain countries presently by law require special steam treatment of wood pallets prior to entry from a foreign country thereby increasing the expense of shipping. These pallet tops are expensive to make due to the increasing cost of wood and are expensive to recycle since they are made of wood and metal.
Therefore it would be advantageous to provide a new pallet top which is strong and lightweight; has a filled center portion for increased load stability to provide a higher surface area on which a stacked pallet may rest; and can withstand the high stresses which are developed when the securing straps are in place. It would also be advantageous for this new pallet top to be inexpensive, recyclable and not pose an accident threat when being handled.